When Less Really Does Mean Less

Lower unemployment numbers and the Dow cracking 13,000 has some of the more starry-eyed pundits claiming the economy's finally getting its legs back. But since the banking crisis of 2008, business has been anything but "as usual" – including the business of design. The economy coupled with the relentless rise of social media outlets has designers worrying about their own economic shutdown. Is less is the new normal?
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JOHN FOSTER

Accidental Mysteries, 02.26.12

Accidental Mysteries, a weekly cabinet of visual curiosities curated by John Foster, highlights images of design, art, architecture and ephemera brought to light by the magic of the digital age. This week's focus is firearms.
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JOHN FOSTER

Accidental Mysteries, 02.19.12

This collection of underground music and culture events flyers come from the personal online collection of Chicago collector Marc Fischer. Most of them are from metal and hardcore shows, in particular. Many are from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh from the mid-late 1980s and early 1990s. Others were collected from other cities during the same time period or were mailed to me by friends around the country.
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This spring Sappi is hosting a national road show, in collaboration with 826 National, to launch Special Effects, Volume 5 of The Standard. Issue 5 shows designers how the creative use of special effects can make a printed piece dimensional, tactile, intriguing and sometimes interactive. The next event is on March 7 in Los Angeles.
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JOHN FOSTER

Accidental Mysteries, 02.12.12

MICHELLE HAUSER

Pop Photographica: An Interview with Daile Kaplan

Daile Kaplan’s comprehensive collection has one unifying trait: a photographic element that was not intended for viewing on the wall. As her collection evolved, Kaplan discovered that what she was surrounding herself with was indeed an overlooked photographic genre. In the late 1980s, Kaplan named the genre “pop photographica.”
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JOHN FOSTER

Accidental Mysteries, 02.05.12

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Sappi, AIGA/LA and 826 National debuts The Standard 5: Special Effects and you're invited.
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Cars R Us

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POEM OF THE WEEK

"Five Houses Down"

Five Houses Down, a poem by Christian Wiman.
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WEEKLY EMAIL: MARCH 01, 2012
FEATURED THIS WEEK : ADRIAN SHAUGHNESSY When Less Really Does Mean Less Lower unemployment numbers and the Dow cracking 13,000 has some of the more starry-eyed pundits claiming the economy's finally getting its legs back. But since the banking crisis of 2008, business has been anything but "as usual" – including the business of design. The economy coupled with the relentless rise of social media outlets has designers worrying about their own economic shutdown. Is less is the new normal? READ MORE
JOHN FOSTER Accidental Mysteries, 02.26.12 Accidental Mysteries, a weekly cabinet of visual curiosities curated by John Foster, highlights images of design, art, architecture and ephemera brought to light by the magic of the digital age. This week's focus is firearms. READ MORE JOHN FOSTER Accidental Mysteries, 02.19.12 This collection of underground music and culture events flyers come from the personal online collection of Chicago collector Marc Fischer. Most of them are from metal and hardcore shows, in particular. Many are from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh from the mid-late 1980s and early 1990s. Others were collected from other cities during the same time period or were mailed to me by friends around the country. READ MORE FROM OUR SPONSORS Learn to be a design critic through SVA's D-Crit program.Design as subject matter, criticism as a literary genre and the range of tools with which to practice design criticism. Watch videos of presentations by the Class of 2011 >> The D-Crit Program >> SVA Website >> This spring Sappi is hosting a national road show, in collaboration with 826 National, to launch Special Effects, Volume 5 of The Standard. Issue 5 shows designers how the creative use of special effects can make a printed piece dimensional, tactile, intriguing and sometimes interactive. The next event is on March 7 in Los Angeles. More about Volume 5 of The Standard >> View the road show schedule and registration details >> Find out more about Sappi here >> JOHN FOSTER Accidental Mysteries, 02.12.12 Accidental Mysteries, a weekly cabinet of visual curiosities curated by John Foster, highlights images of design, art, architecture and ephemera brought to light by the magic of the digital age. This week's focus is Politics. READ MORE MICHELLE HAUSER Pop Photographica: An Interview with Daile Kaplan Daile Kaplan’s comprehensive collection has one unifying trait: a photographic element that was not intended for viewing on the wall. As her collection evolved, Kaplan discovered that what she was surrounding herself with was indeed an overlooked photographic genre. In the late 1980s, Kaplan named the genre “pop photographica.” READ MORE JOHN FOSTER Accidental Mysteries, 02.05.12 Accidental Mysteries, a weekly cabinet of visual curiosities curated by John Foster, highlights images of design, art, architecture and ephemera brought to light by the magic of the digital age. This week John focuses on "The White Project", a collection of photos by Jane and Francois Robert. READ MORE		BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK \| FOLLOW US ON TWITTER Products of Design in France Apply today >> Sappi, AIGA/LA and 826 National debuts The Standard 5: Special Effects and you're invited. Get Los Angeles tickets >> All kids deserve a shot at their American dream >> The designer party game in a box from Australia >> OBSERVATORY ARCHIVE Cars R Us On Aspen, 1970 On Manuel Bromberg POEM OF THE WEEK "Five Houses Down" Five Houses Down, a poem by Christian Wiman. READ MORE RECENT BOOKS RECEIVED Design with the Other 90%: Cities Cynthia E. Smith The Electric Information Age Book: Mcluhan/Agel/Fiore and the Experimental Paperback Jeffrey Schnapp, Adam Michaels Why the Law Is So Perverse Leo Katz
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